We know customer journeys matter. We know emotion matters. But do we know what “good” looks like when it comes to customer journeys? Do we know how to design for emotion? Well, the two are inextricably linked. To know what good looks like — and how to benchmark journeys — we need to understand the emotional makeup of journeys.

But journeys are not all the same. They differ, in terms of complexity (number of steps or number of channels used) and intensity (“fear of missing out” [FOMO], the level of commitment required, and potential impact on others). Firstly, we need to segment out journeys. Secondly, we need to dig a lot deeper into their emotional makeup.

We need to go beyond just equating emotion with delight — designing delightful moments may charm customers some of the time, but it misses the full scope of the role of emotions in building enduring relationships with customers. Companies often underestimate the impact that emotion has on rational decision-making, and even companies that do try to design for emotion rarely tap its full potential. We must change that! It impacts customers, and it impacts your bottom line. Brands that deliver a higher ratio of positive to negative emotions score higher on Forrester’s Customer Experience Index (CX Index™), and each 1-point increase in CX Index score has revenue impact!

At Forrester’s virtual event, CX EMEA 2020 from 17–19 November, I will be unveiling brand-new research on segmenting and benchmarking journeys that focuses on emotion as the key to understanding what good looks like. Here is a sneak preview of some of the things I will be talking about:

  • A simple way to segment your journeys based on complexity and intensity
  • A three-step framework to explore the emotional makeup of journeys
  • The results of quantitative (survey) and qualitative (focus group) research we have conducted for two key journeys (pet-food purchasing and buying a home) that are diametrically opposed in terms of complexity and intensity to illustrate how the framework can be applied in practice
  • The implications the three-step framework has on how we measure and optimize emotionally attuned journeys
  • Next steps that will transform how we benchmark and transform journeys across industries

Find out more during my keynote at our fully virtual event, CX EMEA, from 17–19 November. The full agenda can be found here.